Maine Bass Fishing 2024

Mainebass1984 reply :

Some waters are beginning to open up in southern and central Maine. Another season of Bass fishing in Maine is upon us. How many Maine bass fisherman are on here ? Feel free to post reports, conditions, questions and anything else regarding Maine bass fishing. I will try to post as much as I can and I hope some other Maine bass fisherman will do the same.

Smokinal reply :

Still waiting for my home lake to open up above the Augusta area. Live lake web cam shows black, mealy ice so it isn't long now! That will be my first stop with jerkbait in hand.

Anyone been out in Maine yet?

Reports?

Mainebass1984 reply :

My next day off will be my first day on the water, April 21st. I am pretty sure that where I want to fish will be ice free. I am hoping for water temperatures around 43 degrees. With the forecast for the next week it is definitely a possibility. A jig will be my go to bait that first day. I will also have a crankbait, drop shot, texas rigged craw, swimbait, spinnerbait and jerkbait tied on. The water is very high right now which always is good for early spring fishing, in my experience anyway.

MainelyBass88 reply :

Checked Sabattus yesterday, the edges were all open and the ice was really dark. Should open up soon. Also know some smaller ponds in Western Maine are starting to open up. Might be fishing that area this weekend, even if there's still some ice left.

Mainebass1984 reply :

On 4/14/2017 at 12:01 AM, MainelyBass88 said:

Checked Sabattus yesterday, the edges were all open and the ice was really dark. Should open up soon. Also know some smaller ponds in Western Maine are starting to open up. Might be fishing that area this weekend, even if there's still some ice left.

I wish I was getting out this coming weekend. Even if a place is half frozen you can still catch bass ! Good luck !

Smokinal reply :

On 4/14/2017 at 12:01 AM, MainelyBass88 said:

Checked Sabattus yesterday, the edges were all open and the ice was really dark. Should open up soon. Also know some smaller ponds in Western Maine are starting to open up. Might be fishing that area this weekend, even if there's still some ice left.

Good to hear! Give us a full report!

BassB8Caster reply :

I'm in western maine. Starting to see water along the shorelines on most lakes and ponds. Looking good forward to this season. This would be a productive topic to keep going as the season opens up. Once ice is out, obviously the water is really cold. In the smaller ponds, where are the best spots to target? Shallows where the water should warm faster? Freshwater inlets?

Smokinal reply :

On 4/14/2017 at 8:25 AM, BassB8Caster said:

I'm in western maine. Starting to see water along the shorelines on most lakes and ponds. Looking good forward to this season. This would be a productive topic to keep going as the season opens up. Once ice is out, obviously the water is really cold. In the smaller ponds, where are the best spots to target? Shallows where the water should warm faster? Freshwater inlets?

I do very well in an area just like that just after ice-out. It's a large, secluded cove with water between 4-9 ft and the main stream comes in there. But that bite only lasts a couple of weeks then it's out to the main lake where the bite can really vary from shoreline areas to deep drops. I fish the shallow areas with a jerkbait, soft swimbait like a Keitech and spinnerbaits. When I have to go deeper for them a blade bait in either silver or gold, depending on cloud cover, works well. And a jig is never a bad idea.

BassB8Caster reply :

On 4/14/2017 at 8:33 AM, Smokinal said:

I do very well in an area just like that just after ice-out. It's a large, secluded cove with water between 4-9 ft and the main stream comes in there. But that bite only lasts a couple of weeks then it's out to the main lake where the bite can really vary from shoreline areas to deep drops. I fish the shallow areas with a jerkbait, soft swimbait like a Keitech and spinnerbaits. When I have to go deeper for them a blade bait in either silver or gold, depending on cloud cover, works well. And a jig is never a bad idea.

Great info. Thanks. This is my 3rd spring fishing for bass. I usually see some prespawn and spawn action, but have yet to get out right after ice out. Hoping to change that. I know they will want to seek out warmer water. So sun contributes to that as well as fresh water. And of course cold water = sloooowww down.

WestBranch reply :

Seven Tree in Union is almost completely open. The boat launch is open.

Sennebec is part open, with very thin black ice n the rest.

Southern part of Togus is open.

Been out on all 3, not much luck.

I'm up at camp now ( just north of Lincoln) and the Penobscot, Piscataquis and mattawamkeag rivers are holy crap high and running hard.

Mainebass1984 reply :

On 4/14/2017 at 8:25 AM, BassB8Caster said:

I'm in western maine. Starting to see water along the shorelines on most lakes and ponds. Looking good forward to this season. This would be a productive topic to keep going as the season opens up. Once ice is out, obviously the water is really cold. In the smaller ponds, where are the best spots to target? Shallows where the water should warm faster? Freshwater inlets?

Typically the north west corner or cove of most lakes and ponds will have the warmest water in the early spring. Those areas have the most exposure to the sun through out the day. Any area that has any inlet also will have warmer water temperatures. These types of areas have done very well for me year after year. Not only is the inlet bringing in warmer water but it is also bringing in food. Sometimes they stack up right in front of an inlet at the first drop off, just waiting for food to drift by. A jig excels in that situation.

MainelyBASS reply :

A few ponds south of Portland have opened up. Ive caught 10 fish in 4 trips. Biggest was a 4. All on a mop jig. Had to sell my boat over the winter due to having twin daughters and finances getting tight. This will be a discouraging season for sure without a boat. I have a friend who has a boat who said he might be able to take me out a bit this year, so I will hopefully get an occasional boat fix this summer. Im scheduled to fish 16 tournaments, all from the back of the boat unfortunately, but its better than nothing.

BassB8Caster reply :

On 4/14/2017 at 8:50 PM, Mainebass1984 said:

Typically the north west corner or cove of most lakes and ponds will have the warmest water in the early spring. Those areas have the most exposure to the sun through out the day. Any area that has any inlet also will have warmer water temperatures. These types of areas have done very well for me year after year. Not only is the inlet bringing in warmer water but it is also bringing in food. Sometimes they stack up right in front of an inlet at the first drop off, just waiting for food to drift by. A jig excels in that situation.

Excellent info as usual from you. Early in the year is it better to wait the day out and fish afternoons, giving the sun time to warm the water some or head out first thing in the morning? One pond in particular that i cannot hit up has a pretty shallow cove on the north end with a stream coming in there. Should produce well. I have a lot of action there last summer. This area gets tons of lillies and grass and fish were all through it last summer. I was having a difficult time getting a good hookset out of my kayak last year there. But this year will be different. Im thinking of targeting this north end working my way back to where it drops off. Goes from 3-4 feet then to 8-10 then to 20-25. these drop offs should be great staging areas.

Another question...work shallow to deep or deep to shallow. Primary target will be bigger fish. Jig will be tied on along with slow rolling keitech 5.8 impact fats

BassB8Caster reply :

On 4/14/2017 at 9:57 PM, MainelyBASS said:

A few ponds south of Portland have opened up. Ive caught 10 fish in 4 trips. Biggest was a 4. All on a mop jig. Had to sell my boat over the winter due to having twin daughters and finances getting tight. This will be a discouraging season for sure without a boat. I have a friend who has a boat who said he might be able to take me out a bit this year, so I will hopefully get an occasional boat fix this summer. Im scheduled to fish 16 tournaments, all from the back of the boat unfortunately, but its better than nothing.

Hopefully you have better access to shore fishing than i do around here. I broke down 3 years ago and bought a kayak. Cost around 350. Perfect for the small ponds around me. A few times i have tried shore fishing (when i have a couple hours after work and i dont want to go through the whole kayak process) and it seams all the ponds around me have grown in shorelines and fishing from shore is nearly impossible. The kayak is a life saver. Not on the level of a boat, but maine has some awesome small ponds that the big boats stay out of (or are not allowed).

Mainebass1984 reply :

On 4/14/2017 at 10:38 PM, BassB8Caster said:

Excellent info as usual from you. Early in the year is it better to wait the day out and fish afternoons, giving the sun time to warm the water some or head out first thing in the morning? One pond in particular that i cannot hit up has a pretty shallow cove on the north end with a stream coming in there. Should produce well. I have a lot of action there last summer. This area gets tons of lillies and grass and fish were all through it last summer. I was having a difficult time getting a good hookset out of my kayak last year there. But this year will be different. Im thinking of targeting this north end working my way back to where it drops off. Goes from 3-4 feet then to 8-10 then to 20-25. these drop offs should be great staging areas.

Another question...work shallow to deep or deep to shallow. Primary target will be bigger fish. Jig will be tied on along with slow rolling keitech 5.8 impact fats

Even in the early spring I try and spend as much time on the water as possible. The drop offs sound like a good place to fish a jig. A Keitech should catch some fish too. I personally prefer a rage swimmer over a keitech. They seem to be more durable, especially the tail section. For the areas 10 ft and less a suspending jerkbait could be the ticket. A squarebill crankbait can not be overlooked. A slow rolled spinnerbait or chatter bait could be the ticket too. Let the fish tell them what you want.

WestBranch reply :

LOTS of small streams are now good sized lakes.

This one is supposed to be the molunkus stream in Macwahoc Plantation

Mainebass1984 reply :

On 4/15/2017 at 3:51 AM, UpTheHill said:

LOTS of small streams are now good sized lakes.

This one is supposed to be the molunkus stream in Macwahoc Plantation

I love fishing a high water spring ! That looks a bit extreme though. Hopefully water levels will go down a bit in the next week or so.

WestBranch reply :

On 4/15/2017 at 10:18 PM, Mainebass1984 said:

I love fishing a high water spring ! That looks a bit extreme though. Hopefully water levels will go down a bit in the next week or so.

It's already dropping. Though we're expecting rain tomorrow.

Area flood warning goes thru mid week.

My camp and the logging road i take there is high and dry, so a good pair of boots and I'm in my happy place

Smokinal reply :

Today should have opened up some water for us.

Anyone still see ice?

BassB8Caster reply :

Ice is definitely melting. I didnt get to check any of the smaller ponds I typically fish but I live by Norway (pennesseewassee) lake and it melted a ton this weekend. I'm hoping to get some fishing in this coming weekend.

Mainebass1984 reply :

On 4/17/2017 at 7:28 AM, Smokinal said:

Today should have opened up some water for us.

Anyone still see ice?

This past Friday my dad and uncle were icefishing on Kezar Lake. Still 16" of ice then. Salmon fishing was good. Less ice now for sure.

WestBranch reply :

Small lakes in southern aroostook county are still 1/2 ice, but opening fast. Large chunks of ice floating past the camp.

MaineBassMan reply :

Hi all Mainers! Picked up the new boat last Thursday and finally got to break her in on the 15th of April. My Father and Father in law went with me, my Father in law has never really been bass fishing and we showed him one heck of a time. He actually caught the first bass of the day on his 4th cast! Luck! We nailed them, we ended up catching 50- 60 bass. Most of them were high 2 pound bass but we caught at least 10 over 3 lbs our 5 biggest bass totaled a little over 18 pounds. Cranks and jerk baits were the ticket but we also caught a few on swim baits. The new boat with I-pilot, Humminbird Helix 10, 2 12' Talons and Minn Kota Ultera were awesome! Boat topped out at 62 mph.

The stars of the day:

MaineBassMan reply :

BTW we didn't take pictures of all of them takes up too much time!

MainelyBass88 reply :

On 4/17/2017 at 7:28 AM, Smokinal said:

Today should have opened up some water for us.

Anyone still see ice?

The small ponds I was hoping to fish this weekend were still iced up. One of my friends actually ice fished one on them. I live in Auburn during the week, and there's still some ice on Sabattus and Lake Auburn, as well as small ponds nearby. Looks like it will all be gone in the next few days, however

Mainebass1984 reply :

On 4/18/2017 at 1:10 AM, MaineBassMan said:

More

BTW we didn't take pictures of all of them takes up too much time!

Nice boat ! Glad to see someone found openwater AND a few bass.

Smokinal reply :

On 4/18/2017 at 1:10 AM, MaineBassMan said:

More

BTW we didn't take pictures of all of them takes up too much time!

Wow BassMan you guys got on em!! Good to see!

WestBranch reply :

Fish aren't biting, so I'm playing ice breaker. It's still pretty thick in spots.

Puts a new spin on the phrase ice fishing.

Dramer77 reply :

Im from Maryland, but i will be up in maine monday for 6 weeks doing some training for work.. i plan on bringing some bass gear with me and try to hit some water while im up there.. I'll be staying in auburn, i hear the river that runs right through there is the best smallmouth fishery in all of maine.. Id love to meet up with some locals to beat the banks or possibly head out on the water...

WestBranch reply :

On 4/19/2017 at 10:59 PM, Dramer77 said:

Im from Maryland, but i will be up in maine monday for 6 weeks doing some training for work.. i plan on bringing some bass gear with me and try to hit some water while im up there.. I'll be staying in auburn, i hear the river that runs right through there is the best smallmouth fishery in all of maine.. Id love to meet up with some locals to beat the banks or possibly head out on the water...

I'm away at camp right now, but there's also some really good lakes in that area.

Cobbosseecontee and Annabessacook lakes about 30 minutes east of Auburn are awesome

jbmaine reply :

Jim from southern Maine here. All the waters around me are open but I've yet to get my boat in the water. Hope to soon and will start to report local conditions.

Where do we stand on the lead ban? Do I understand correctly we can still use lead until sept of this year?

Jim

Smokinal reply :

On 4/21/2017 at 4:18 AM, jbmaine said:

Jim from southern Maine here. All the waters around me are open but I've yet to get my boat in the water. Hope to soon and will start to report local conditions.

Where do we stand on the lead ban? Do I understand correctly we can still use lead until sept of this year?

Jim

I hadn't heard that anything official even passed?!

WestBranch reply :

Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §12664

Unlawful use. This subsection governs the use of lead sinkers and bare lead jigs.

A. A person may not:

(1) Use a lead sinker; or

(2) Beginning September 1, 2017, use a bare lead jig.

B. A person who violates this subsection commits a civil violation for which a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 may be adjudged.

Mainebass1984 reply :

On 4/21/2017 at 7:07 AM, UpTheHill said:

Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §12664

Unlawful use.   This subsection governs the use of lead sinkers and bare lead jigs.

A.  A person may not:

(1) Use a lead sinker; or

(2) Beginning September 1, 2017, use a bare lead jig.

B.  A person who violates this subsection commits a civil violation for which a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 may be adjudged.

It is my understanding that a lead jig with a skirt can still be used as well as all spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, etc. I also think that a painted lead jig can still be used as well.

No lead sinkers for sure. Tungsten is better anyway.

Most of the water is I like to fish in southern and western maine is open. Saturday will be my first day out. It will be great to be on some nice fish again.

A-Jay reply :

On 4/21/2017 at 10:29 AM, Mainebass1984 said:

It is my understanding that a lead jig with a skirt can still be used as well as all spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, etc. I also think that a painted lead jig can still be used as well.

No lead sinkers for sure. Tungsten is better anyway.

Most of the water is I like to fish in southern and western maine is open. Saturday will be my first day out. It will be great to be on some nice fish again.

Good Luck Sir ~

A-Jay

WestBranch reply :

Just trying to help move the ice out.

jbmaine reply :

Thanks for the info. To me the bare lead part is interesting. I'm thinking of painting my bare lead tackle, weighted swim bait hooks, etc.

I spend a lot of my time fishing the Acton area. We have a green Lund WC delux with a 20 hp Honda on it. If you ever see us swing by and say hi.

on a side note, I picked up my PB in that area last yr. 7.1lb LM

Jim

MainelyBASS reply :

The story yesterday for the most part was how tough the bite was. Yesterday was the first tournament Sunday of the season. I don't have reports from every tournament, but aside from the Little Sebago and Silver Lake tournaments which had winning weights north of 18lbs for 5 fish, most tournaments were a struggle. Mousam Lake had a 21lb winning weight for 10 fish. Arrowhead Lake had a under 10lb limit for 5 fish, and Cobb Stream had around 11lbs for a 5 fish limit. I fished Mousam Lake and only managed 1 bite all day. I found out afterwards that I was just fishing too fast. I was throwing the same baits as the person who won, but they said they would let their bait sit motionless for sometimes 30 seconds to a minute. Lesson learned.

BassB8Caster reply :

I attempted to go out on saturday to find that many of the ponds i target are still frozen over. Will try again this weekend. Should be good to go after the warm up thats coming.

Smokinal reply :

On 4/24/2017 at 8:29 PM, MainelyBASS said:

The story yesterday for the most part was how tough the bite was. Yesterday was the first tournament Sunday of the season. I don't have reports from every tournament, but aside from the Little Sebago and Silver Lake tournaments which had winning weights north of 18lbs for 5 fish, most tournaments were a struggle. Mousam Lake had a 21lb winning weight for 10 fish. Arrowhead Lake had a under 10lb limit for 5 fish, and Cobb Stream had around 11lbs for a 5 fish limit. I fished Mousam Lake and only managed 1 bite all day. I found out afterwards that I was just fishing too fast. I was throwing the same baits as the person who won, but they said they would let their bait sit motionless for sometimes 30 seconds to a minute. Lesson learned.

11 for 5 on Cobb is shocking! I would have thought in the high teens. I know a couple guys who grab some giants every spring in there. I was out yesterday and beat the bejeeses outta them from 6 to about 9. Then the cloud cover cleared, sun came out and it shut right down. I'll be posing a report as soon as I get vid edited.

Mainebass1984 reply :

This past Saturday was my first day on the water. It was a balmy 30 degrees when I got to lake. I could see that the water was up a bit which I always enjoy. I launched my boat and found that the water temperature was 40 degrees. I went to one of my favorite early season spot and started fishing a jig. I couldn't buy a bite. After fishing a crankbait, spinnerbait, drop shot, a suspending jerkbait, swimbait, a red eye shad as well as a texas rigged craw fished painfully slow I decided. I still couldn't manage a bite. Not he start to the season I had hoped. Almost 2 hours had passed with no bites or fish seen. My next spot which had been very reliable for me consistently for years also produced 0 bites. The water was even colder there 39 degrees. It was almost 1 pm by then. I knew I had to make a big move and switch game plans. I had a few options but choice to fish the northwest corner of the lake. After a long run I was fishing a suspending jerkbait in 6-8 ft of water. I was pleased to see the water temperature was much warmer there, 41 degrees. It didn't take long before I had caught my first bass of the season a 2 lb 13 oz largemouth. After hours with no success I was rejuvenated. I stayed in that area until the very end of the day getting 2or 3 bites an hour. I had a couple big fish come unbuttoned which is always sad. My 2nd bass of the year was a 4 lb 6 oz largemouth. By the end of the day I had managed to land 5 largemouth and 1 2 lb 10 oz smallie. Lunker for the day was a 6 lb 11 oz hawg. After such a rough start to the day was very happy with how the day ended, finishing the day with a 5 fish limit of 6-11, 4-6, 3-1, 2-13, and 2-10. The fishing turned out good but the weather could have been better, mist, snow flakes and a daytime high of 41 degrees was not ideal.

DogBone_384 reply :

Congrats to a good start. More proof I need to retire somewhere OTHER than MA.

MikeOGNR reply :

On 4/25/2017 at 10:59 AM, Mainebass1984 said:

This past Saturday was my first day on the water. It was a balmy 30 degrees when I got to lake. I could see that the water was up a bit which I always enjoy. I launched my boat and found that the water temperature was 40 degrees. I went to one of my favorite early season spot and started fishing a jig. I couldn't buy a bite. After fishing a crankbait, spinnerbait, drop shot, a suspending jerkbait, swimbait, a red eye shad as well as a texas rigged craw fished painfully slow I decided. I still couldn't manage a bite. Not he start to the season I had hoped. Almost 2 hours had passed with no bites or fish seen. My next spot which had been very reliable for me consistently for years also produced 0 bites. The water was even colder there 39 degrees. It was almost 1 pm by then. I knew I had to make a big move and switch game plans. I had a few options but choice to fish the northwest corner of the lake. After a long run I was fishing a suspending jerkbait in 6-8 ft of water. I was pleased to see the water temperature was much warmer there, 41 degrees. It didn't take long before I had caught my first bass of the season a 2 lb 13 oz largemouth. After hours with no success I was rejuvenated. I stayed in that area until the very end of the day getting 2or 3 bites an hour. I had a couple big fish come unbuttoned which is always sad. My 2nd bass of the year was a 4 lb 6 oz largemouth. By the end of the day I had managed to land 5 largemouth and 1 2 lb 10 oz smallie. Lunker for the day was a 6 lb 11 oz hawg. After such a rough start to the day was very happy with how the day ended, finishing the day with a 5 fish limit of 6-11, 4-6, 3-1, 2-13, and 2-10. The fishing turned out good but the weather could have been better, mist, snow flakes and a daytime high of 41 degrees was not ideal.

Was the lunker you caught in 6-8ft roughly? I've been grinding it out with huddlestons lately and have landed a few fish still gotta keep grinding I know just looking for a depth range

Mainebass1984 reply :

On 4/25/2017 at 6:27 PM, MikeOGNR said:

Was the lunker you caught in 6-8ft roughly? I've been grinding it out with huddlestons lately and have landed a few fish still gotta keep grinding I know just looking for a depth range

All the fish except the smallmouth were caught in 6-8 ft. Water temp was a bit cold for me to have confidence in the hudd. Id like to see 50 degrees before committing time to the hudd. Soon it will happen, maybe next weekend.

MikeOGNR reply :

On 4/26/2017 at 1:03 AM, Mainebass1984 said:

All the fish except the smallmouth were caught in 6-8 ft. Water temp was a bit cold for me to have confidence in the hudd. Id like to see 50 degrees before committing time to the hudd. Soon it will happen, maybe next weekend.

Yea it's a little bit warmer down in central NH but not by much I've gotten a few on the hudd 68 nothing on the 8in but that's how the hudds go grind grind grind and eventually that 1 fish will come

Mainebass1984 reply :

On 4/26/2017 at 9:42 AM, MikeOGNR said:

Yea it's a little bit warmer down in central NH but not by much I've gotten a few on the hudd 68 nothing on the 8in but that's how the hudds go grind grind grind and eventually that 1 fish will come

The next couple weeks the hudd should work well. As you know you wont get too many bites with the hudd. The 68 special is the only way to go in my opinion. I favor the weedless so I can throw it in some very thick cover. I do have a exposed hook hudd that I BB rigged. That certainly ups the hook up ratio. I love hudds. I need to fish them more. Last year my biggest hudd fish was a 6-14 in the first week of May. Hoping to best that this year.

WestBranch reply :

On 4/26/2017 at 7:30 PM, Mainebass1984 said:

The next couple weeks the hudd should work well. As you know you wont get too many bites with the hudd. The 68 special is the only way to go in my opinion.

What rod and reel do you use with the hudd 68 special. I see it's a 2 oz lure.

Mainebass1984 reply :

On 4/26/2017 at 8:56 PM, UpTheHill said:

What rod and reel do you use with the hudd 68 special. I see it's a 2 oz lure.

I use a Daiwa Jupiter Heavy action Flipping Rod. Never had a problem with that rod. Ive thrown some very large baits on it. Never broke on. I would like to get a swimbait specific rod but I think the rod I use does an excellent job.

YungAngler reply :

On 4/21/2017 at 7:07 AM, UpTheHill said:

Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §12664

Unlawful use.   This subsection governs the use of lead sinkers and bare lead jigs.

A.  A person may not:

(1) Use a lead sinker; or

(2) Beginning September 1, 2017, use a bare lead jig.

B.  A person who violates this subsection commits a civil violation for which a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 may be adjudged.

so I no longer have any lead in my arsenal, but this law may not hold up, due to Trumps reversing all the environmental protections signed by previous administrations - see his change on lead ammunition. I hate to get political on a fishing board, but I hope people realize these these local laws and ordinances will be challenged at the federal level and will allow individuals and companies, to more easily dump pollutants into our waterways. i'm just thankful we live in a part of the country that values clean water and air more than personal profit - see most states in the Southeast. also, keep in mind, congress wants to sell off our public lands for $. This could easily happen in NH, ME, and VT. We could lose access to many lakes and ponds by selling off these lands. if you care about your local fishing and hunting spots, I hope you inform your congressmen of your concerns.

MikeOGNR reply :

On 4/26/2017 at 8:56 PM, UpTheHill said:

What rod and reel do you use with the hudd 68 special. I see it's a 2 oz lure.

I use a 7ft heavy action bass pro graphite series Muskie Rod. With a shimano Cardiff 401A spooled with 50lb braid

On 4/26/2017 at 7:30 PM, Mainebass1984 said:

The next couple weeks the hudd should work well. As you know you wont get too many bites with the hudd. The 68 special is the only way to go in my opinion. I favor the weedless so I can throw it in some very thick cover. I do have a exposed hook hudd that I BB rigged. That certainly ups the hook up ratio. I love hudds. I need to fish them more. Last year my biggest hudd fish was a 6-14 in the first week of May. Hoping to best that this year.

Yea the hudd is a mental game watching keepinitreelfishing got the slow retrieve down for me I first started just going slow cranking but even still was fast than I started looking at the spool itself turn and painfully slowed it down too bottom crawl. Haven't picked up a hog yet but just time on the water with it will eventually get me one caught this guy on it last weekend. I like the golden shiner and perch colors the best, but the Ayu color does well also

Mainebass1984 reply :

On 4/27/2017 at 3:07 AM, MikeOGNR said:

I use a 7ft heavy action bass pro graphite series Muskie Rod. With a shimano Cardiff 401A spooled with 50lb braid

Yea the hudd is a mental game watching keepinitreelfishing got the slow retrieve down for me I first started just going slow cranking but even still was fast than I started looking at the spool itself turn and painfully slowed it down too bottom crawl. Haven't picked up a hog yet but just time on the water with it will eventually get me one caught this guy on it last weekend. I like the golden shiner and perch colors the best, but the Ayu color does well also

The rod I fish it on is 7'6". Tosses that beast a mile. You should see the 8 " hudd fly. I'm also using 50 lb power pro.

You'll get a big bas son it for sure if you put your time in. I haven't got a 7 on it yet but I did get the 6-14 and saw my buddy lose a 7.5 +/- lber on one at the boat. Another friend of mine who is 100 % swimbaits, 100 % of the time gave me an interesting tip... Fish the hudd like a jig. Its an interesting concept and the results will surprise you. Have you tried fishing a hudd at night ??

MikeOGNR reply :

On 4/27/2017 at 3:21 AM, Mainebass1984 said:

The rod I fish it on is 7'6". Tosses that beast a mile. You should see the 8 " hudd fly. I'm also using 50 lb power pro.

You'll get a big bas son it for sure if you put your time in. I haven't got a 7 on it yet but I did get the 6-14 and saw my buddy lose a 7.5 +/- lber on one at the boat. Another friend of mine who is 100 % swimbaits, 100 % of the time gave me an interesting tip... Fish the hudd like a jig. Its an interesting concept and the results will surprise you. Have you tried fishing a hudd at night ??

Like dragging it or hopping it? Interesting

MikeOGNR reply :

On 4/27/2017 at 3:21 AM, Mainebass1984 said:

The rod I fish it on is 7'6". Tosses that beast a mile. You should see the 8 " hudd fly. I'm also using 50 lb power pro.

You'll get a big bas son it for sure if you put your time in. I haven't got a 7 on it yet but I did get the 6-14 and saw my buddy lose a 7.5 +/- lber on one at the boat. Another friend of mine who is 100 % swimbaits, 100 % of the time gave me an interesting tip... Fish the hudd like a jig. Its an interesting concept and the results will surprise you. Have you tried fishing a hudd at night ??

I'm actually going night fishing Friday night on a couple of secret ponds up near my camp . I'm excited too do it I watched a ton of videos on guys doing it gonna try it hopefully get on a hog

Mainebass1984 reply :

Looks like I will have a 3 day fishing weekend. Dawn until dusk each day. Hopefully find a few lunkers and put my friend on some big bass as well. I am curious to see if the pattern I found will hold up.

Anyone else getting out this weekend in Maine ??

Smokinal reply :

On 4/27/2017 at 7:42 PM, Mainebass1984 said:

Looks like I will have a 3 day fishing weekend. Dawn until dusk each day. Hopefully find a few lunkers and put my friend on some big bass as well. I am curious to see if the pattern I found will hold up.

Anyone else getting out this weekend in Maine ??

Not me; I work Saturday and my son's last college double header is Sunday so I want to catch that. Ive got my name all over next Sunday though!

MainelyBASS reply :

This weekend is my second tournament of the season. We are fishing Great Pond in Belgrade. Ive never fished it before, know nothing about it, so im sure I will get my rear-end handed to me, but it will be fun.

Smokinal reply :

On 4/27/2017 at 9:54 PM, MainelyBASS said:

This weekend is my second tournament of the season. We are fishing Great Pond in Belgrade. Ive never fished it before, know nothing about it, so im sure I will get my rear-end handed to me, but it will be fun.

I know a couple guys fishing it too. Give us a report!

WestBranch reply :

On 4/27/2017 at 7:42 PM, Mainebass1984 said:

Looks like I will have a 3 day fishing weekend. Dawn until dusk each day. Hopefully find a few lunkers and put my friend on some big bass as well. I am curious to see if the pattern I found will hold up.

Anyone else getting out this weekend in Maine ??

I'm retired now, so my week is 6 Saturdays followed by a Sunday. We moved upta camp about 2 weeks ago for the summer, so its fish, eat, sleep, repeat.

Well there's a couple of chores thrown in the mix, but I try to keep those to a minimum.

Smokinal reply :

I thought I'd link this here too

MainelyBass88 reply :

Ice went out around me last week, so I was finally able wet a line. Was only able to shore fish for about an hour on Saturday, but managed to catch two. First was 1.5lbs on a wacky rig, second was a 6lber on a chatterbait, both in about 2-3 fow. Decent start to the season, can't wait to get back out!

MainelyBASS reply :

On 4/27/2017 at 10:33 PM, Smokinal said:

I know a couple guys fishing it too. Give us a report!

Well, it was brutal for us. Lost 8lbs of fish at the net, and had one bend a silver buddy completely in half and come off 10ft away from the boat. Finished with 11.4lbs for 5 fish and a 47th place out of 65. The fishing was on fire to start the day. Lost that big one on the second cast, tied on a new silver buddy and caught a 3.9 smallmouth, 5 minutes later another 3.8 smallmouth. From that point on, the sun broke out from behind the clouds and only managed to put 2 more fish in the livewell. Brutal day. Awesome lake! 23.9 pounds for 7 fish was the winning total. That bag had a 5+lb largemouth and 6 big smallmouth.

Mainebass1984 reply :

This past weekend the fishing was consistent but far from excellent. Sadly my friend I did not get any picture worthy fish. We found fish near areas where they will be spawning. Most of our fish came from 4-8 ft of water. My weapon of choice was a jig. I found water temperatures varied quite a bit from spot to spot. The warmest I found was just touching 60 degrees. The cold front that pushed through on sunday threw the fish that I was on into semi-lock jaw. We ended the weekend with a lot of 3 lbers, 9 4s and few fish bigger then that. Hopefully will get out there again soon. Still looking for that 7 pound plus bite.

WestBranch reply :

DIF&W announced they've stocked waters with10,000 fish in the last couple of weeks. Here's the where and when

http://www.maine.gov/ifw/fishing/reports/stocking/stocking.htm

Mainebass1984 reply :

Anyone getting out on the water this weekend ?

I think I will be able to get 2 days in. Its going to be a bit cold and rainy but you cant catch them if you don't go !

BassB8Caster reply :

I was finally able to get out and do some fishing today. I only fished from about 10 to 230. Ive been very excited to fish this particular lake as it sets up very well for the fish to set up prespawn in a shallow flat on the north end. There are 2 small rivers that flow into the lake on the north end. I have fished here in the summer and the North end was full of grass, weeds, lilies etc. And I did very well last summer with Texas rigged soft plastics.

My plan was to start where the depths go from 20-25' up to 8 to 12 (the beginning of the flat). I was expecting the fish to start staging anywhere here and shallower. I intended to search with jerkbaits, spinners, chatterbait, lipless cranks etc until I found them, then slow down with jigs, etc. Started out very slow. Didn't help there was a steady 20-25 mph southern wind. There has also been a lot of rain lately so the lake was high and stained. So I spent some time seeing how shallow they might be. Didn't find much real shallow. After a while I caught a decent pickerel in 2.5 -3 fow on a red craw rat l trap. Then after a little while later I caught my first largemouth. A 4lber on a red/blk 3/8 strike king spinner in about 6 fow.

Then I had a first in my bass fishing days. I caught a chunky 13" brook trout on the red craw rat I trap. I've never caught a trout on my bass lures before. It was kinda cool.

Next I tied on a zman chatter trick stick. I bought this cheap thinking it would work good. Looks like a rainbow trout with the blade. It doesn't move a ton. Kinda shimmies/ shakes (not wobble like a crank or paddle tail). Expectations were low due to the rather poor reviews online. Figured I would try it anyway. Glad I did! It was the lure of the day! I caught a 3.3, 3.75, 3 and 2.5 on it in a rather short time. All these fish were very healthy chunky fish. The 4lber on the spinner was 19" long. All the fish looked like they had a belly full of eggs or food. These were all caught in 4-8 fow.

What I like about the trickstick is it vibrates with very little movement. So I can swim it very slowly while it is still vibrating. It is a very flashy loud bait.

At this point I about had all the wind i could take and it was time to paddle about a mile back into the 20mph wind. All in all, a good day fishing for my first of 2017. I believe there are bigger fish in here. Will definitely fish this lake more this year.

Pics below of the trickstick and trout. Didn't get any pics of the bass.

Smokinal reply :

^^^Very nice B8Caster. Ya, it's pretty cool catching good trout by accident while bass fishing. I usually catch 1-2 in the spring and 1-2 in the fall; when we start fishing shallow with jerkbaits. In fact, this year, on my first day out, I had a really nice brookie right beside the boat. It freaked out, did a ton of alligator rolls and got off; looked to be in the 20-22" range.

Glad to hear you had a good first day!

BassB8Caster reply :

Wow. that's a big brook trout. I wasn't sure at first what he was. I caught him like 6 feet off the kayak. He went crazy when I got him to the surface. All I could see was flashy silver. Thought it may have been a chub/sucker (I caught a good sized one last year in that lake). Last thing I thought it would be was a trout. Especially on a red lipless crank. I was tempted to take him home and grill him up. Decided to release him.

MikeOGNR reply :

Went out this weekend in search of some big bass on a trout pond. Ended up fishing awhile didn't manage any bass, but the trout were on fire limited out in about 30 minutes all Brookies. I know there's big bass in here due to seeing a friends pictures. All in all good Sunday

MainelyBASS reply :

Fished Little Ossipee on Sunday. Fishing was insanely consistent. Lots of males moved up shallow cruising the spawning areas. High water gave them lots of new territory to search for best spawning spots available. Brought 5 rods in my friends boat, but only used 1 all day, never picked up the others. 1/2 oz Black and Blue Project Z Chatterbait with a Rage Menace Grub trailer. I rigged the bait on a rod with 50lb braid for a few reasons. One reason was I planned on fishing around laydowns, heavy grass, and other clusters of structure so I wanted the appropriate line for the situation. The other reason for 50lb braid was the ability to keep the lure above the grass and vegitation that i was fishing around. Even though the water was up a few feet, we were fishing the "new" 12-24 inches of lake water and sinking line, or smaller braid wouldn't have allowed me to retrieve the bait without snagging grass each time. We never landed anything over 4.5 but we did catch a healthy number of 1.5-3lb fish with a few 4's mixed in.

Mainebass1984 reply :

This past weekend the bass fishing was excellent. I had one of my more memorable days for numbers of quality fish. Saturday I was in my winter gear in the rain but the fishing was excellent. I had tried a few spots a couple weeks ago and they just weren't there yet. I launched the boat and found the water had cooled a bit to 53 degrees. The jig was the lure of the day. I was fishing an area with a clay shoreline. This time of year crawfish come out of there burrows and stack up in this area. Most of the fish had crawfish antennae sticking out of there gullet. A 1/2 oz jig with a rage craw trailer was the lure of the day. In 11 hours I landed 26 largemouth, 10 chain pickerel and 1 smallmouth. Of the 26 largemouth 3 were in the 5 lb range, 5-7,5-3 amd 5-1. The average size was excellent with a 5 4s, 4-12, 4-5, 4-3,4-0 and 4-0. Lots of 3s caught as well 3-11, 3-10, 3-9, 3-4, 3-3, 3-1, 3-3, 3-3, 3-12 and 3-0. A couple of the fish that weren't 3 lbs weighed in at 2-15. Fished were stacked in my spots and they were crushing my jig. A total of 18 bass over 3 lbs. It was surreal kind of day. Sunday the wind blew very strong out of the south 15-20 mph with gusts approaching 30 mph. I decided to fish a small cove that was protected out of the south wind at a local lake. I landed 11 largemouth, 4 were over 3 lbs, 3-9, 3-8, 3-4, and 3-0. With the wind I was happy just to catch fish. The water was 53 degrees there as well. I fished noon until 5. The lure of the day was the jig again. It was an excellent weekend of fishing, much needed after a long winter. It feels great to be on the water and hear the spring peepers again.

Smokinal reply :

^^^Wow, you had a banner day for sure. I went out Sunday and, like you, had some rippin winds straight out of the south up the lake. I had 52 degree water. I'm still fishing this early pattern in a shallow cove with a jerkbait and the bite was still on for sure. I caught 44 bass and about 10-15 huge pie-plate crappie; all in about 5 hrs. It was absolutely stupid how good the bite was. Nothing for size but I like having a numbers day like that. All were 1.5-2.5 lbs.

Tried to load some pics but Photobucket has been having problems for a while now. Anyone use anybody else for photo storing and sharing?

RMcDuffee726 reply :

On 5/9/2017 at 6:05 PM, Smokinal said:

^^^Wow, you had a banner day for sure. I went out Sunday and, like you, had some rippin winds straight out of the south up the lake. I had 52 degree water. I'm still fishing this early pattern in a shallow cove with a jerkbait and the bite was still on for sure. I caught 44 bass and about 10-15 huge pie-plate crappie; all in about 5 hrs. It was absolutely stupid how good the bite was. Nothing for size but I like having a numbers day like that. All were 1.5-2.5 lbs.

Tried to load some pics but Photobucket has been having problems for a while now. Anyone use anybody else for photo storing and sharing?

Honesty I would suggest locally storing the photos on your computer, and just uploading from there. I see a lot of people on here using photo bucket. From personal experience, local computer storage is much easier and cleaner to upload on to BR.

Smokinal reply :

On 5/10/2017 at 12:09 AM, RMcDuffee726 said:

Honesty I would suggest locally storing the photos on your computer, and just uploading from there. I see a lot of people on here using photo bucket. From personal experience, local computer storage is much easier and cleaner to upload on to BR.

I didn't know you could upload right from my system; thought you had to save to a site then share from there. Could you give this old dog some directions on how to put pics into threads right from my tower?

WestBranch reply :

When you type a reply. Right underneath will be a paperclip with click to choose file.

Smokinal reply :

On 5/10/2017 at 7:58 AM, UpTheHill said:

When you type a reply. Right underneath will be a paperclip with click to choose file.

Well then lets give this a shot! Here's (if I do this right) some pics of a couple I got last Sunday. 1 pie plate crappie and an average sized smallie:

jbmaine reply :

Finally got out today. Found the water temp at 58 degrees. Could not get a LM bite, but the smallies were more willing. Nothing big( 2lb 8oz was the largest) but a lot of fun. Let the season begin!!!!!!!

Here's a couple of pics

Thanks for looking

Jim

Smokinal reply :

I fished that little carry-in pond again on Memorial Day. Didn't fish like our first trip but we got some decent fish. I had 2 5's and what's even more cool than that is I got my first wopper plopper fish and a bunch on the BBZ40 Rat.

Mr. Aquarium reply :

im headed to dixfield,me on the androscoggin river little town near rumford. any info for fishing this area? headed up tonight

BassB8Caster reply :

On 6/1/2017 at 8:35 AM, Smokinal said:

I fished that little carry-in pond again on Memorial Day. Didn't fish like our first trip but we got some decent fish. I had 2 5's and what's even more cool than that is I got my first wopper plopper fish and a bunch on the BBZ40 Rat.

Good to hear. I just got my bbz40 rat in the mail and am trying it out this weekend.

On 6/1/2017 at 11:28 PM, swamp hawgs said:

im headed to dixfield,me on the androscoggin river little town near rumford. any info for fishing this area? headed up tonight

I haven't fished up there but a friend of mine has. Has has good luck around dams (bass and some brown trout). The androscoggin river is pretty good everywhere. Has some decent pike in there. Not too far from rumford in Jay by the dam is good too. There is also a dam in livermore falls. As far as the dixfield side of rumford not sure.

Smokinal reply :

On 6/1/2017 at 11:28 PM, swamp hawgs said:

im headed to dixfield,me on the androscoggin river little town near rumford. any info for fishing this area? headed up tonight

Not that particular area but you can't go wrong with a small crank, white fluke, popper, TRD on a Ned head, shakey head

On 6/3/2017 at 7:43 AM, BassB8Caster said:

Good to hear. I just got my bbz40 rat in the mail and am trying it out this weekend.

It's a pretty cool bait. I got most of my fish on a very slow swim on top and a couple swam faster under the surface. Do you have a pretty stout rod to throw it on? It's a little bit of a chore. The one tip I'll give is you really have to reel painstakingly slow to get that "swim" on top; you'll figure it out. Let us know how you do with it.

BassB8Caster reply :

On 6/3/2017 at 8:19 AM, Smokinal said:

Not that particular area but you can't go wrong with a small crank, white fluke, popper, TRD on a Ned head, shakey head

It's a pretty cool bait. I got most of my fish on a very slow swim on top and a couple swam faster under the surface. Do you have a pretty stout rod to throw it on? It's a little bit of a chore. The one tip I'll give is you really have to reel painstakingly slow to get that "swim" on top; you'll figure it out. Let us know how you do with it.

I'm fishing with 2 mh rods. I'm hoping it will handle it ok. My plan is to try everything; walking it, waking on top with a slow retrieve, and cranking it a little under the surface.

BassB8Caster reply :

Went out yesterday for a few hours. Once again it was very windy. I was super excited to try out the morning dawn bbz40 rat. I fished it on a mh rod, which was perfect. It cast great and never felt too heavy for the rod. I absolutely love the action of this lure. It is my first "expensive " lure purchase, but I'm very glad I made it. The bait is extremely versatile.

Even with the rough water, I did ok with the lure. Caught and landed 3 smallies at 1.25, 2.2, and 2.35 lbs. Had another hit but not take it and I lost a nice one at the kayak around 2.5 to maybe 3lbs. The only complaint is have with this lure is that once in a while the front treble gets tangled on the line. Imo there is no excuse for this. I'll either down size the treble or the split ring so it cannot happen again.

So overall very happy with the lure. I cannot wait to try it out on some large mouth on a calm morning around docks and trees. Highly recommend this lure!

Smokinal reply :

^^Glad you had fun with it!

Smokinal reply :

What's been going on guys? Who's been out? I went out 2 Sundays ago to a new, small pond for smallies. Bite was good early, then shut right down for me around 9. Very clear water place which I'm not used to so maybe it was me. No pics but I caught 3 or 4 that were in the 3-4 lb area; good smallies for sure. A few smaller ones and 4 long pickerel.

Wait, maybe figured this pic thing out...

WestBranch reply :

I've been doing real good in the evenings using topwaters like the BBZ rat. Unfortunately a pickerel bit thru the line and swam off with one.

Smokinal reply :

On 7/19/2017 at 9:21 AM, WestBranch said:

I've been doing real good in the evenings using topwaters like the BBZ rat. Unfortunately a pickerel bit thru the line and swam off with one.

Ouch!! Those are tough to lose that way!

MainelyBASS reply :

Tournament season has been rough, for me and for everyone else also. Per usual, someone always catches enough to win, but all the weights are down so far this season. On 3 prominent bass lakes, the winning weights have been 18,16, and 14 in that order. Kezar lake always puts out 20-22 lb bags and a 6 or 7lb lunker. This year it was 18.4 and lunker was 5.4. At Moose Pond in Birdgton, usually 18-21 is the winning weight, this time around it was 16.4. Lunker usually weighs in around 6-7, but only 4.6 this year. Lastly, on Lake Arrowhead, 18-21lbs is usually the winning weight, Sunday it was 14.4. Lunker usually goes 6-7.5 lbs and it was only a 4.9 that took it Sunday. I personally am doing awful, but be are entering our clubs smallmouth lake swing. Fishing will be deeper and more finesse which suits me much better, as I am hoping for a turnaround in the standings, currently barely in the top 10 for angler of the year points.

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